1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a grater for gratable food products with different hardness degrees, including a grater container which can be closed with a cover, in which a driver element with a plurality of guiding elements is rotatively supported, and in which a feed disk is supported linearly movable from an inserting side of the grater container to a grating side in a direction of a longitudinal axis of the grater container, wherein the product to be grated located in the grater container can be guided by the driver element across a grater insert which is mounted detachable on a grating side on the grater container.
2. Discussion of Related Art
Now, graters for grating of different food products, by which food can be grated conveniently and in an amount needed by the user, are increasingly employed in households.
In known graters, the food to be grated, the product to be grated, is stored movable in a cylindrical or conical grater container on a grater insert which has a plurality of through-holes. Projecting through an insertion side into the grater container is a plunger by which the product to be grated can be moved vertically downwards to be pressed onto the grater insert. The plunger is rotatably supported in the grater container, and during rotation of the plunger, the product to be grated is moved across the grater insert, thereby resulting in the grating of the product to be grated. The plunger can easily be pulled out of the grater container, and new products to be grated can be refilled in a fast and simple manner. If the user pulls the plunger out of the grater container, the product to be grated is exposed and can contact the environment. Such a grater carries the risk that the user unintentionally contacts product to be grated, or that pollution of the product to be grated can occur when removing the plunger. Another disadvantage of graters of the type described here is the varying height of the grater, wherein the height depends on the mass of the filled-in product to be grated. In most cases, it is not possible to store filled graters in a refrigerator so that a removal of the grated product and the storage in a separate container has to take place prior to the cooling.
A grater with a constant total height which is independent from the filling level is disclosed by European Patent Reference EP 1 554 962 B1. A cup-shaped grater container is mounted rotatably on a base plate from which a threaded rod having an external thread projects vertically upwards. The product to be grated is located in the grater container. A plunger which is moveable inside of the grater container and which has a central threaded hole is pressed by the rotation of the grater container in a vertical direction towards the base plate, whereby the product to be grated is pressed against a grater insert in the base plate. Because the grater container has a polygonal cross section, the product to be grated located in the grater container is carried along with the rotational movement of the grater container, whereby the product to be grated can be moved under pressure across the grater insert. The product to be grated can thus be grated by the rotational movement of the grater container.
The active connection between the threaded rod having an external thread and the moveable plunger which has an internal thread enables the grating of the product to be grated, wherein a total height is constant at any time, and the filled grater can thus be stored in the refrigerator. It is a negative effect that the interior of the grater container is centrically penetrated by the threaded rod, whereby the size of the gratable food is limited, or the product to be grated has to be adequately chopped up before filling into the grater, respectively.
It is not disclosed, if and how the grater taught by European Patent Reference EP 1 554 962 is secured against unintended opening and thus against unintended exposure of the product to be grated by a user.